Interviews and Questionnaires: Types, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Posted on May 16, 2024 in Psychology and Sociology

L to Interview

An interview, along with a questionnaire survey, is a technical social research method that follows the same steps as scientific research. The only difference is that, at the data collection stage, data is obtained through a set of oral or written questions, which are answered by the people involved in the problem under study.

S Difference Between the Interview and Questionnaire

The interview generally has an oral character, while the questionnaire has a written character.

In an interview, the presence of a person who questions the informant is essential. The questionnaire, as it is a set of written questions, can be applied by a researcher.

In an interview, asking questions can go on as the interviewer is getting the answers of each respondent. The questionnaire is composed of a set of questions that are general for all informants.

Type s of Interviews and Questionnaires

In social research, two types of interviews are generally used:

  1. The led or structured interview, which follows a pattern of questions in order to obtain certain information.
  2. The non-directed or unstructured interview, where the informant has complete freedom to narrate their experiences, give opinions, etc. In these interviews, the researcher, using very few questions at the appropriate time, keeps the interviewee on topics related to the problem under study.

There are other interviews that are derived from these, such as:

  1. Panel (Repeating the same questions to the same people at different times and cross-examining them based on their answers).
  2. Focused (referring only to a particular aspect).
  3. Repeat (like the Panel, just with different samples of individuals).

In regard to the questionnaire, there are three main types:

  1. The structured questionnaire or closed questions, where the respondent, for each question, is limited to the possible answers listed in the questionnaire.
  2. The unstructured questionnaire or open-ended questions, where the respondent, for each question, is free to express their own response.
  3. The mixed questionnaire, including both open questions and closed questions.

Advantage s of an Interview

  1. It is more flexible than the questionnaire in obtaining information, both in the search for detailed data and the adaptation of the questions according to the characteristics of the interviewee.
  2. It permits obtaining much more information than the questionnaire.
  3. It adapts much more easily than any questionnaire to the cultural level of the respondent.

Disadvantage s of an Interview

  1. It is more expensive than the questionnaire, especially for large samples, and more so if individuals are geographically dispersed, as it requires the presence of interviewers.
  2. In the case of self-administered interviews, it can be mailed.
  3. It requires highly skilled interviewers in the research topic, i.e., highly trained people on the subject of the interview that can further the search for data from the answers given by the informant.
  4. An interview usually requires more time than the questionnaire.

Advantage s of the Questionnaire

  1. It is less expensive than the interview because, in many cases, the presence of people in the administration of the questionnaire is not essential (self-administered questionnaire).
  2. The application of the questionnaire does not require specialized personnel in the field of research, as is essential in the case of the interview.
  3. It is more uniform in the data collected, where the questions are the same for all informants.
  4. If the questionnaire is mailed, the informant may feel more secure in the anonymity of their responses and provide more reliable information.

Disadvantage s of the Questionnaire

  1. It is too rigid and thus allows only the data collection referred to in the question.
  2. It may lead to a loss of important information for the analysis of the research problem.
  3. It is too formal and may cause resistance in the informant to answer certain questions.

E r Questionnaire

The questionnaire is a data collection technique and consists of a set of written questions that the researcher administers or applies to individuals or units of analysis in order to obtain the information necessary to determine empirical values of the variables or responses being studied. The questionnaire, for preparation and implementation, should consider the following steps:

  1. Determination of the objectives of the questionnaire, which refer to the information needed to analyze the problem because of the investigation.
  2. Delimitation of the universe or population under study, to which the questionnaire will be applied, the analysis units or persons to respond to the questionnaire, and the size and type of sample units of analysis to identify the informant and their number.
  3. Selection of the questionnaire type and method of administration.
  4. Processing the questionnaire as an instrument of data collection.
  5. Application of the questionnaire or fieldwork to collect data.
  6. Critical review and encoding of information collected.

Ao Structure Parts

1 .- Title whom it is directed specifically to the questionnaire.

2 .- Introducció no show, summarizes the objectives of the questionnaire.

3 .- IDENTIFICATION of the questionnaire;

4 .- A at the last part where you specify the name, address and phone number who applied the questionnaire (if not self-administered) and the comments that this may have.